UNFRIENDLY SKIES

07.09.12

Trip from L.A. to Fla. Takes 19 Hours

Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

Passengers on a Spirit airlines flight from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, ended up traveling for 19 hours after the flight was diverted due to a “disruptive” passenger. An 81-year-old blind man, who had reportedly been “kicking and screaming,” was removed from the plane in Houston. But the other passengers spent several hours on the tarmac before being allowed off. Then they were told that they had to be transferred to Dallas, because the airline does not operate any flights from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale. The travelers, who had departed Los Angeles at 10 pm on Saturday, finally arrived in Florida at 8 pm on Sunday night. One passenger said, "It was terrible. It was unreal. It was painful. Nineteen hours we were in this mess."